Artemis Fowl: A Christmas Carol
by escape artists
Summary: Four years after the Opal deception, My version Of the Christmas Carol with Artemis Fowl playing Scrooge AH fourshot? sorry it's late for Christmas.
1. Chains

**A/N: I use lots of quotes and things from the Christmas Carol, written By Charles Dickens, not me, and I do not own the charachters settings, or themes from the books, written by Eion Colfer. Anything you recognize, or think that you may have seen before is probably not mine.**

It was Christmas eve in Fowl Manor, Lavish decorations and Christmas cheer could be observed in every room in the large house, except for one. That was the bedroom of our main Character, young Artemis Fowl the second. Master Fowl was seventeen years old and engaged in his usual work of making money, depositing said money into his many Swiss bank accounts, and avoiding all human interaction.

Artemis could still smell the eggnog and Christmas cookies who's fragrance had wafted into his bedroom from his parents' annual Christmas party that was by now, long over. The Fowl heir glanced across his dimly lit bedroom to check his bedside clock, it read 12:00. Artemis sighed contentedly, another Christmas eve over at last, and he hadn't even been forced into coming downstairs. All was right with the world.

_Midnight_, the young genius thought, _I should probably_ _get to bed._

Just then, the boy felt the air grow cold, he watched as his chamber filled with mist. _How very cliché_ he thought.The sound of metal clinking against metal, and scratching on wood (presumably his hard-wood bedroom floor) came to his ears. Artemis warily looked up to find the figure of Julius root standing imposingly in his bedroom. It may have been merely the boy's imagination, but he thought that he could through the mist, see the elf's feet floating a few inches above the ground.

_But Julius Root has been dead for more than four years now!_

"Fowl" Commander Root greeted, "It's been a while." Artemis noticed that this Julius Root looked tired and his clothes were torn, he wore heavy looking iron chains on his hands and feet. Artemis, for once, was speechless.

"Are you surprised to see me?" The Ghost, whom Artemis decided could not be Julius root asked, Artemis nodded and swallowed hard, searching for his voice, what he said came as a whisper. "Who _are_ you"

"In life, I was your enemy, as well as your friend, Julius Root. But I am sure that you already knew that." Once again , Artemis nodded.

"Why have you come then?" Artemis asked still skeptical.

"I've come to warn you Artemis." Root said flatly "I don't want you to end up like me, even if you do deserve it." Artemis thought this entire situation seemed reminiscent of something he had seen before, but at this hour, he was not thinking clearly enough to remember where.

"What happened to you then?" Artemis wondered aloud.

"In my life, I gave all my time and energy to my job, leaving no time for those people who cared about me. My spirit wanders forever, because it never left work in life." Artemis took a moment to let this sink in before he asked his next question.

"Why do you carry those heavy chains?"

"I made these chains during my life, by isolating myself from those people I cared about, and becoming cruel toward others… Sound familiar Mud Boy?"

It did sound familiar, and that scared Artemis enough that he forgot that he didn't believe that any of this was real. The ghost continued.

"At the time of my death, your chain was as large and as heavy as my own, and since then, you have added to it."

"How" Artemis asked slowly, "can I avoid such a fate?"

"Tonight, three spirits will visit you, they will help you." Artemis sighted, more ghosts? He didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Expect the first Ghost when the bell tolls one" Julius said as his figure began to fade.

"May I point out Commander, that not a single clock in this manor tolls on the hour?" Artemis said with a little smile, as Julius Root disappeared completely.

The Ghost popped back into existence irritably. "At one then," he snarled, as he disappeared again he muttered something about stupid Mud Boys, ruining dramatic exits.

Artemis sighed, and checked the clock, as the mist cleared and the temperature in his bedroom returned to normal. It was 12:45, time to go to bed and forget this ever happened.

**A/N: What did you think? I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.**


	2. Christmas past

**A/N: wow, I wrote this all at once, I don't know how good this chapter is, your opinion would be wonderful. **

Artemis Fowl woke up in a daze. The Fowl heir sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes blearily. Gazing in the general direction of his too-expensive, correct-to-the-second alarm clock, the young man discovered that it was 1:00 in the morning as of three seconds ago.

_ Wonderful_ Artemis thought sarcastically _fifteen minutes of sleep_.

All that had occurred before he fell asleep came rushing back to him in a wave of realization. Artemis immediately scanned his room for the first ghost. What he saw was not what Artemis had been expecting.

"Mulch?" The genius asked, now completely awake and not at all tired. ""What on Earth would posses you to come to my room at this time of night, or at all for that matter?"

"I am not Mulch," The ghost said in a tone that seemed to hold more wisdom than any mortal being did, but in a voice similar to Mulch Diggums. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Past" _Definitely not Mulch_ Artemis thought upon hearing the spirit speak to him.

"The Ghost of Christmas Past? The same Ghost of Christmas Past that appears is Charles Dickens' the Christmas Carol?" The ghost nodded.

"Charles Dickens was a very close friend of the main character in his novel, Ebineezer Scrooge, few people know that the Christmas Carol was not a work of fiction, though Charles did change the story quite a bit" Artemis kept his skepticism to himself and nodded. "Now, if you will follow me" The spirit continued, there is much I have to show you."

Without another word the Ghost of Christmas Past made his way to the front entryway, Artemis followed silently behind, gazing at the shadows dancing along the walls in the hallway and contemplating the strangeness of this dream. The lights along the hallway that remained on all through the night were designed to look like torches and glowed orange, not fully illuminating the rooms through which they walked making Artemis feel disconcerted.

Before he knew it, Artemis was in the front entryway. The ghost opened the door and the room was filed with bright light.

"Spirit?" Artemis asked uncertainly.

"Yes? Mister Fowl?" The Ghost replied.

"What is that light?" Artemis wondered.

"The light is the past Artemis Fowl, your past"

The young genius followed the spirit through the door, and found himself inside his own bedroom once more, only this time there was another person in the room.

A child sat at the computer desk before them; the boy had raven hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. It was obvious to Artemis that he was staring at a younger version of himself.

"Well this can not be right." The Ghost of Christmas Past interjected. We were supposed to be at Christmas Eve eleven years ago, but here you are all alone studying."

"It is no mistake," Artemis said slowly, "This is what I was doing on Christmas Eve when I was six years old."

"Why were you alone?'

"I like to be alone." Artemis said. He paused then continued "When I work, other people just get in the way."

"Your mother, she didn't like it." Was all the spirit said.

Artemis sighed and looked toward the floor "I know"

Artemis watched the rooms fade and he soon found himself in another part of the house. They were in a room that appeared to be constructed completely out of concrete, there were two new people in the room.

Artemis realized that he was watching Christmas Eve six years later, The night that he imprisoned Holly Short and held her for ransom. Artemis remembered that at the time of the events he was watching he hadn't known that it was Christmas.

Artemis watched as his twelve year-old self attempted to carry out his not-so-ethical scheme, he watched as he lied to Holly Short, and as he negotiated with Root. The entire night's events went by in minutes.

Artemis found that he felt dreadful about all that he had done, and the people he hurt. But Artemis shook these feelings away. He was reminded then of another Christmas, one that came years later, involving the people, or more specifically Holly Short. _No_, he would not think of that Christmas.

As if the ghost had heard his thoughts, he said.

"There was one last Christmas I have to show you involving these people. It happened three years later, do you remember?"

"Spirit," Artemis started, "Please do not make me relive that Christmas, I will never work on Christmas again, I will never ignore my family again, just please do not show me that Christmas." But it was no use the walls of Fowl manor were already fading. Artemis felt the air turn cold he heard the river but he couldn't see it past the oak tree. There he sat on a rock, (his fifteen year old self) with Holly Short, Artemis had asked her to attend his parent's annual Christmas party (as his best friend of course) and he had gone here with her afterwards to say goodbye. There was snow on the ground; the moon was high in the sky and bright.

The younger Artemis stood. "Holly" our main character watched himself say. "I am going to exile myself from the fairy people." There was silence for a moment just as the Fowl heir remembered. But soon Holly spoke up.

"Why… why are you…" she trailed off. The seventeen year-old Artemis Fowl walked closer and stood behind Holly, with the ghost following behind him.

"Holly I…"the young man tried to explain, he took a few deep breaths. Artemis remembered clearing his mind of emotion and concentrating on saying each word. He remembered not looking into her eyes, but staring at the tree trunk behind her. "I believe that I may be falling in love…with you," Artemis watched in horror as his younger self finished quickly. "And I can not allow myself to do that, I am saying goodbye to you and your people… forever."

The boy turned and took a few steps before turning back. "I wish…" he started and gave up. "Please forgive me." With that he was gone.

Holly just sat there in shock, and although Artemis knew that she was just a shadow of the past and could not see him, he walked to where she was standing. He watched as she sat on a rock and cried a few silent tears. He put a hand on her shoulder and whispered. "I am truly sorry." She spoke, only because she knew that her departed friend couldn't hear what she had to say.

"Why couldn't you let us just be friends? Even if I felt the same way you don't have to go and…" She stood up and left silently. The scene faded, Artemis knew Holly hadn't been talking to him but it still felt as if she had kicked him.

Artemis looked around; he was alone in his room.

**A/N alright, how was that? Sorry if it was slow… reviews are appreciated.**


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